Who

The world's most famous sushi chef isn't the white-hot superstar he was a decade ago, but his chain is running smoothly—and making millions—with 17 locations around the world.

Backstory

Matsuhisa apprenticed for a top Tokyo sushi chef at 18 and had to wait for three years, he says, before his mentor allowed him to touch a single piece of sushi. He later traded Japan for Lima, Peru, where he incorporated Latin flavors into his culinary arsenal, and then moved to Anchorage, Ala., where he opened his first U.S. restaurant, Koi Oi. When a fire devastated the eatery two months later, a dispirited Matsuhisa headed to LA with $27 in his pocket. After working at a few sushi joints in the LA area, he rustled up a $70,000 loan from a friend and opened Matsuhisa on La Cienega Boulevard in 1987. A celebrity following soon materialized, including Robert De Niro, who suggested the chef take his act to the East coast. (For his part, Matsuhisa had no idea who De Niro was.) After much persuasion from the actor, Matsuhisa came to New York in 1994, opening Nobu with partners De Niro, Drew Nieporent, and movie producer Meir Teper.

Of note

Nobu proved a hit from day one, although given the De Niro connection that was probably to be expected: Diners lined up on Hudson Street before 6 p.m. waiting for the restaurant to open, and early diners had to "verbally agree" to relinquish their tables in time for people with eight o'clock reservations. Nobu's overwhelming success meant that it wasn't long before the partners made plans to expand the chain. These days there are branches in close to a dozen cities, including LA, Milan, and London, two other New York City spots, Nobu Next Door and Nobu 57, as well as Nobu East Hampton (which is open only in the summer). And although the original Nobu is no longer the buzzed-about new kid on the block, it's still hugely profitable. The Tribeca restaurant alone reels in $8.5 million in annual revenue and turns a 20 percent profit, according to New York. Its most popular (and profitable) item: the legendary black cod with miso, which has since popped up on virtually every trendy Japanese menu from Raleigh to Phoenix. You'll find Matsuhisa's recipe for the cod in his 2005 book, Nobu Now.

On screen

Matsuhisa appears as a Japanese gambler in Casino, the Martin Scorsese-directed 1995 film. In 2002, he returned to the big screen to play a Japanese businessman named Mr. Roboto in Austin Powers: Goldmember. He also appeared in a Gap ad campaign shot by Herb Ritts in the 1990s.

Personal

Matsuhisa and his wife, Yoko, have an apartment in the West 60s. They also have homes in LA and Tokyo. Nobu's thirtysomething daughter, Junko, runs Nobu Tokyo. Another daughter, Yoshiko, lives in the Japanese capital as well.

True story

In the '90s, Matsuhisa occasionally hopped on the Concorde so he could visit three of the branches in his empire—Los Angeles, New York and London—in a single day.